As daily living shifts from reliance on physically demanding to more sedentary activities, human bodies become susceptible to unfitness. Many persons engage in a regimen of various physical activities, which often include interaction with inanimate objects, such as free weights, and machines, such as stationary bicycles, in order to preserve or regain fitness.
The body has many muscles groups which are responsible for controlling independent body functions. For example, the muscles for extending an arm are independent of muscles for raising a leg. Thus, exercising one muscle group may not exercise another muscle group. Accordingly, to preserve or regain muscle fitness, the body must engage in activities that exercise the muscles groups desired to be fit. However, some muscles groups, the abdominal and oblique muscles groups, in particular, are difficult to condition.
Exercising is very difficult for persons having physical limitations in the knee and lower extremity areas and for those with decreased range of movement. As such, a need has developed for an exercise device that can accommodate these persons and provide an effective exercise workout. For such persons, it important to be able to build and tone the muscle mass around the quads, gluts and knee regions. Additionally, it is also important to improve the muscle tone in the calves, lower abs and muscles in the lumbar area. For such persons, it is important to be able to avoid stress to the knee or supporting joints during the workout.
In the past, various patents have issued relating to exercise devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,630, issued on Sep. 18, 2001 to K. O. Boland, teaches a free-standing physical exercise device. The device includes a ground support frame, a vertical mast secured hingedly to the frame, a slidable position support mechanism mounted on the mast, and a set of hand-grippable levers. A lever support bracket permits the arcuate movement of the lever bars about the support mechanism. A dual-direction resistance means is operatively connected between the lever support bracket and the mast-mounted slidable mechanism so as to provide variable resistance to the arcuate motion of the levers in both directions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,398, issued on Nov. 26, 2002 to P. H. Kreft, describes an exercise device that includes a knee rest which allows leverage against resistance. This device is configured to strength the abdominal and oblique muscles in a relaxed state by kneeling and twisting the lower torso. Handles extend from the base to which the user may comfortably grasp the knees while kneeling on the knee rest. The user exercises by urging the upper torso to rotate the knee rest.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,524, issued on Sep. 5, 2000 to C. C. Huang, describes a bridge flex machine which is composed of a first rod, a second rod and two transverse rods mounted between the first and second rods. A triangular block is mounted on the frame and located on the first rod. A U-shaped member is slantingly inserted into the triangular member and fixedly mounted thereon by a bolt. An oscillating rod is pivotally connected with the upper ends of the U-shaped member. The user has his or her feet on the foot support rod and can bend forward so as to push a rectangular frame forward in pivotable relationship to the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,902, issued on Oct. 26, 1999 to Robertson et al., shows a lumbar extension machine. This device includes an elongated base frame which has a U-shaped front portion and T-shaped back portion. An inverted Y-shaped, lower support shaft has three members with a rectangular configuration removably attached to the base frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,261, issued on Feb. 4, 1997 to Easley et al., describes an exercise device with two-way articulation. The device includes a first sub-frame supporting body support members having a foot rest and a seat. A second sub-frame is operably coupled to the first sub-frame by a joint having two axes of rotation and internal stops for controlling the rotation about both axes. A backrest is carried by the second sub-frame. Elastomeric resistant elements are selectively and operably coupled across the joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,485, issued on Nov. 12, 1996 to R. C. Geschwender, describes an exercising and strengthening apparatus which manipulates the back in a manner intended to strengthen back muscles and maintain spine flexibility. Adjacent arrays of rollers are mounted on in a frame in a manner that allows the arrays of roller to be secured in a first position relative to one another. An adjacent pair of rollers are coaxially aligned in a second position relative to one another.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2003/0060347, published on Mar. 27, 2003 to J. Tang, describes an abdominal exercising machine constructed to include a base formed of a first frame and a second frame axially adjustable therewith. A footplate is mounted on the second frame of the top of the resting of the user's feet. A seat is fixedly mounted on the first frame. The device further includes a back support having a first supporting frame pivotably connected to the first frame and holding a lower back cushion. A second supporting frame is hingedly connected to the first supporting frame in order to hold an upper back cushion. Two handle bars symmetrically extend from the second supporting frame. A damping device is coupled between the supporting frame of the back support and the first frame of the machine base.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 392,702, issued on Mar. 24, 1998 to Sands et al., illustrates a swimming exercise device having arms extending outwardly of a torso support section and foot plates extending outwardly in the same direction as the arms.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise device that can assist persons with physical limitations in the knees and lower extremities and assist persons with decreased range of movement.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an exercise device which builds and tones the muscle mass around the quads, gluts, and knee regions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise device that provides exercise to the calves, lower abs and muscles in the lumbar area.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise device which avoids stress to the knee or supporting joints during the workout.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise device which is easy to use, easy to assemble, easy to manufacture and relatively inexpensive.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.